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Evaluate Your Product

There are a lot of startups out there creating great product design. But how are you supposed to evaluate innovation?

John Long at The Ship’s Log has 3 simple questions (and sub-questions) to ask when considering your product.

Is it Usable?

And now for the sub-questions!

Is the heart of the application easy to use? Are the entry points (landing pages, signup, etc.) straightforward? Will the average customer understand how to get started? Is the copy used in your application helpful, instructive, and intuitive? What are the common pitfalls? How can you design the application so that those are never experienced?

Is it Credible?

Credibility isn’t necessarily the VeriSign certificate—think polish. Does your product have the credibility that makes someone want to use your application because of the way it looks and feels?

“Credibility is about dressing to impress. If the custom fitted suit and gold watch don’t impress your clients and help you become a real, viable business then you’ll have spent valuable time and money creating something with no value.”

Is it Easy to Change?

No product design is perfect; expect to get some customer feedback and need to make spur-of-the-moment changes. Look out for:

Cramming too many functions into one screen. Using technology in key places that is not well supported by the majority of browsers. Trying to achieve desktop-caliber controls. Making features Javascript-heavy that could be pure HTML. Using an excessive number of images (pure HTML is much easier to maintain).